A unit used in an Australian school to teach English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students how to write a discussion is described. The 3-week unit was planned and implemented jointly by an ESL resource teacher, class teacher, and teacher librarian. The class was divided into three heterogeneous groups, two of which were observed for this study and…

Three chapters discuss language usage in the classroom: "Language in the Classroom" (Jack Thomson); "Directions for Research into Classroom Communication" (Douglas Barnes); and "Teachers' Attitudes to Usage" (Ken Watson). The first article discusses how students view their classroom, with actual examples from a newspaper survey. Various teaching…

This text provides practical guidelines and techniques for effectively managing acting out behavior in elementary students. It attempts to characterize acting-out behavior in the context of schooling; describe what is known about coping effectively with it; and illustrate applications of successful interventions. The 10 chapters cover the…

A study investigated the kinds of English literacy experiences of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students in a an all-English mainstream classroom, the conceptualizations of ESL students and their English language literacy learning held by a monolingual English-speaking teacher, and instructional strategies used to facilitate ESL students'…

In its most basic form, storytelling is a process where a person (the teller), using vocalization, narrative structure, and mental imagery, communicates with the audience who also use mental imagery and, in turn, communicate back to the teller primarily through body language and facial expression in an ongoing communication cycle. Storytelling is…

The report discusses the first- and second-language development, oral and written, of native English-speakers and native Spanish-speakers in the two-way immersion (TWI) program at Key Elementary School (Arlington, Virginia). Data were drawn from classroom observation from 1994-96, student performance measures, and student work samples. Three…

The narrative structure of a classroom event describes the order in which the story of the event unfolds. This paper compares the narrative structure of a traditional classroom to that of a communicative classroom. The comparison is made in the form of a drama in which a communicative mathematics spokesperson relates the comparative mathematics…

This technical assistance paper focuses on enhancing teachers' ability to match their expectations with children's existing or emerging capabilities and to facilitate children's development of inner control. Encouraging teachers to adopt a humanistic approach, which promotes opportunities for children to learn and become self-directed, is…

The guide, designed for regular classroom teachers, outlines principles and strategies for teaching limited-English-proficient children. The first chapter addresses the task of building a trusting relationship with students and establishing a comfortable learning environment. Topics include sensitivity to cultural and linguistic differences,…

Significant progress has been made to enhance the oral English proficiency of International Teaching Assistants (ITAs), with the greatest strides being made in the linguistic aspects but little attention being paid to cultural communication and pedagogical dimensions. A survey of ITAs in the chemistry, mathematics, and physics departments at…

This report contains case studies of two teachers who attempt to go beyond traditional mathematics curriculum and instruction. There are important differences in the contexts of teaching and in the approaches to studying teaching and learning in these two classrooms. Case study 1 describes a teacher who draws upon professional experiences to…

To suggest that activity in the classroom shift from a focus on memorizing procedures to using mathematical reasoning is to suggest a shift in the classroom environment accompanied by shifts in teacher talk. The task of this report was to introduce the idea of teachers' orienting behaviors aimed at facilitating student cognition, and to suggest…

A study analyzed the multiple purposes of songs in which children in early childhood classrooms sing and move their bodies to the lyrics, the discourses the songs mobilize, and the gendered positions the songs accomplish. Subjects, 28 students entering their first year in a suburban primary school in a large regional center in southern Victoria,…

Two African American teachers teach English in the same inner-city high school. One teacher is successful--her students read, interact, and strive for success. The other teacher's students are frequently disruptive or are asleep. This book probes deep into the causes of classroom success and failure, as well as other issues that affect American…

This paper presents five standards for pedagogy that are applicable across grade levels, student populations, and content areas: joint productive activity; language and literacy development; meaning making; complex thinking; and instructional conversation. These standards emerge from principles and practice that have proven successful with…